Nebraska bill limits drivers' cell phone use

A Nebraska lawmaker wants the state to join the list of
other states that require drivers to keep their hands off the phone.

State Sen. Jim Cudaback of Riverdale has introduced
legislation that would ban hand-held cell phone use while driving. Talking on a
phone equipped with a “hands-free” device would still be permitted.

Under the bill – LB213 – a driver stopped for using a
hand-held phone could be fined up to $100.

Cudaback’s bill would exempt emergency calls.

Fred Zwonechek, administrator of the state’s Highway Safety
Office, told The Associated Press there is not enough data collected on
accidents in Nebraska to know how frequently cell-phone usage by drivers is a
contributor to an accident, but the devices’ use commonly is blamed for
distracting drivers and leading to accidents.

In 1997, however, a study by the New England Journal of
Medicine showed drivers chatting on a cell phone were four times more
likely to be in a collision – about the same as the increase caused by drunken
driving.

AAA opposes laws
restricting cell-phone use by drivers. The automotive association recommends
that drivers avoid “emotional or complicated phone conversations.” AAA cites
the safety benefits of a cell phone in the vehicle in its reasoning for
opposing bans.

Currently, New York and New Jersey have the only statewide
laws restricting cell phone use in vehicles. Several states, however, are
expected to address the issue in the coming months.